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GARP Chapter 9: Kidneys and Bladder, Explained Simply

A removed kidney scores even with normal function. And the bladder table specifically measures whether you have stopped going out.

Veterans Health Centre · 7 September 2026 · 5 min read

Chapter 9 covers the kidneys and the bladder. They are rated separately.

Kidneys

Kidney function is scored on a blood or urine measure called creatinine clearance. It is a number your GP can pull off a normal blood test.

normal or nearly normal — nil
clearance under 20 mL/min — 20
clearance under 10 mL/min — 30
on dialysis — 60

There is a second table for the diagnosis itself:

kidney stones with no symptoms — 2
having had a kidney removed — 5
kidney disease likely to cause failure in 5 to 10 years — 5
likely to cause failure within 5 years — 10
a transplant, or failure expected within six months — 20

You get the higher of the two. And if the kidney disease is making you generally unwell — tired, unable to manage daily tasks — Chapter 16 can be used instead, if it gives a bigger number.

Having a kidney removed rates 5 even with normal function. Veterans routinely leave that off.

Bladder and waterworks

Two separate ratings can be given — one for how you pass urine, one for infections.

The urinary table, roughly:

occasional leaking, no pad needed, or mild flow problems — nil
worse flow symptoms, urgency, up at night, or 1 to 2 pads a day — 5
several pads a day, or a stricture needing stretching every three months — 10
frequent severe leaking causing real embarrassment and avoiding going out — 15
needing to catheterise yourself — 20
a urinary diversion, or constant dribbling needing a device — 30
a permanent indwelling catheter — 40

Infections have their own small table — occasional infections score nil, recurrent cystitis with frequent symptoms scores 5.

The embarrassment problem

This is the chapter veterans undersell more than any other.

The 15-point criterion is specifically about embarrassment and avoiding public places. If you plan your day around toilets, or you have stopped going places because of it, that is not oversharing. That is the exact thing the table is measuring.

Nobody is going to guess it. You have to say it.

If it comes and goes

If your bladder problem is intermittent — flare-ups of infection, for example — the two ratings get joined and compared with a Chapter 15 rating, and you take the higher.

What this means for you

Get a recent creatinine clearance or the blood test it is worked out from.
Mention a removed kidney even if the other one works fine.
Count your pads. Per day. It sets the rating.
Say if you avoid going out. That is a specific criterion.
Claim infections separately from the flow and continence problems.

Common questions

My kidney function is normal but I only have one kidney. Anything?

Yes, 5 points on the Other Impairment table. And the paired organs rule in Chapter 21 may apply.

Prostate problems — are those here?

The urinary symptoms they cause are rated here. The prostate condition itself may also be rated elsewhere, and cancer goes to Chapter 14.

I get up three times a night. Does that count?

Yes. Nocturia sits in the 5 point band with urgency and frequency. Say how many times.

Next in this series

Chapter 10: sexual function, fertility and breasts.

Want a hand with yours?

If you have a permanent impairment assessment coming up, we do these every week. Call 0429 146 039 or email reception@vhc.org.au.